Today, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) is expected to publish its findings on the situation of Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder who has not stepped foot outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012 for fear of arrest and extradition to Sweden. Mr Assange is wanted by Swedish authorities on a rape charge, though fears he will be extradited to the US to face charges relating to WikiLeaks if he returns to Sweden. It has been widely reported that UNWGAD will argue that Mr Assange's three-and-a-half year tenancy in the embassy amounts to arbitrary detention without trial, and will make recommendations for his release.

Not legally binding

Both the UK and Swedish governments have indicated that they will reject the panel's findings, which are not legally binding. 'We have been consistently clear that Mr Assange has never been arbitrarily detained in the UK but is, in fact, voluntarily avoiding lawful arrest by choosing to remain in the Ecuadorian embassy,' said a statement from the British foreign office. In May 2015, the Swedish Supreme Court also made clear that an UNWGAD finding would have no formal influence on the investigation into Mr Assange under Swedish law, ruling that he 'should be detained' in absence of facing the 2010 rape charge.

'Unlawful'

Mr Assange's Swedish lawyer, Per Samuelson, has previously argued that Swedish prosecutor Marianne Ny would be obliged to drop the case against Mr Assange if the UNWGAD classed him as detained. Mr Assange himself expressed on Twitter earlier this week that he expected to be able to walk free from the embassy if the UNWGAD ruling came back in his favour. '[Should] I prevail and the state parties be found to have acted unlawfully, I expect the immediate return of my passport and the termination of further attempts to arrest me,' he commented. British authorities have made clear that police officers stationed 24 hours a day outside the embassy will still move in to arrest Mr Assange if he attempts to leave. Sources: The Guardian; BBC